Top-bearing caster



D. B. DISS.

TOP BEARING CASTER.

APPLICATION FlLED APR. 20, 1921.

1,395,484; D PatentedNov. 1,1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL B. DISS, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE BASSICK COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

TOP-BEARING CASTER.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL B. Drss, a citizen of the United States, and resident-of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New. Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Top-Bearing Casters, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to casters and particularly casters of the top bearing type. The chief object of, my invention is the provision of improved means for detachably securing the pintle of a caster in position when the pintle has been inserted within a sleeve or socket which is secured to the leg mount or supporting plate. jects of my invention relate to the improved details of construction and combinations of parts more fully set forth hereinafter in the accompanying,specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the improved construction a spring member is used, 'comprisingarms which extend downwardly within the sleeve and a top cross portion which is held in place beneath the top of the sleeve by means which serves additionally as atop pintle bearing. ,With such a construction the top of the pintle in pressing against its topbearing will valsoe'xert pressure upon the cross portion of the spring member which will tend to press the downwardly extending spring arms 1n- Wardly, into such position that the engaging portions thereof will tend toengage beneath a shoulder on thepintle. This is, of

course, an improvement in comparison with the forms of. spring latches for the pmtle 1n which there is no forcetending to pressthe spring member inwardly, other than the re- ,siliency of the-spring arm's themselves, since in such a case the 1 resilient pressure of the spring arms against the pintle tends to become weak after continued use.

In order that mytinventlon niayfbe more clearly understood, attent on 1shereby-d1- vreeted to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application and lllustrating certain embodimentsoi iny invention.

In the drawingsFlgure 1 represents a s de elevation of a caster ,embodying my 1nvention, certain parts beingshown in section; ig. 2 is lan enlarged side elevation of th l g .suppa ti g, .elatei n ee Specification of Letters Patent.

Other ob- Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

Application filed April 20, 1921. SeriaI No. 462,903.

and partly indicated in section, to show the interior construction, partly in side elevation and partly in section; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2, the plntlenot being shown; Fig. 4 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of the sleeve and parts contained there- ,in, illustrating a modified form of the invention; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 5-5 ofFig. 4 and Fig. 6 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 4 illustrating a further modification of my invention.

Referring to the drawing, the leg supporting plate 1, has a central opening 2 therethrough through which the pintle 3 is adapted to be inserted. The sleeve 4 extends upwardly from the central opening in plate 1, the lower end of the sleeve being secured to the legsupporting plate in any suitable manner as by crimpingthe same about the ,edge of the open ng as shown ,at 5.

, Theflcaster wheel Gris journaled within thehorn-7, to the upper-transverse portion 8, of which the pintle is securedin the usual manner. A shoulder 9 is provided on the pintle in any suitable manner as by necking or 'fOImlIlg fl slight groove around the pintle as shown at 10, the upper edge of this neck forming the slight-shoulder or abutment Q-referredto. -The-sleeve 4 is provided with a transverse flange at'its upper end, this flange preferably extending entirely across thetop of the-sleeve to close the same asindicated at 11.

The spring means for removably. securing thepintle within the sleeve may take the form of a spring .stripfof .inverted U- shape asshown in Fig-s. 1, 2 and 3. As there shown, the spring strip may comprise a cross portion 12 and downwardly extending portions13, within sleeve 4 on opposite sides thereof. 'The cross portion 12 of the spring strip is secured in position against the under surface of the closed top 11 of the sleeve, preferably by meanswhich will additionally serve as atop bearing for the pintle.

This spring holdingmeans may conveniently take the form of .a rivet 14 which is securely held between the top or cross member '11 ofthe sleeve and the head, 15, of the riyet {With this arrangement the bottom bent ends 16 of the spring forcing the same apart, the sleeve being of suflicient diameter in comparison to that of the pintle to permit this movement. When the pintle has reached its operative positionin which its top surface bears against the bottom of rivet head 15, the inwardly bent portions 16 of the spring strip will snapback into position against the neck 10 of the pintle, beneath shoulder 9. e

A slightly modified construction is shown in Figs. 4 and 5 in which the spring member takes the form of a wire of resilient metal, in place ofthe spring strip previously described. The cross portion 12 of this spring member extends between the top portion 11 of the sleeve and the head 15 of the rivet between which it is suitably held. The spring wire may,'for example,

be suitably-held in position by winding the samearound the neck of the rivet as is indicated at 17. The spring member is provided with downwardly extending sideportions13. having inwardly bent ends which are adapted to engage beneath the shoulder 9 on the pintle.

' A;further modification of the device is. I shown in Fig. 6. As there shown the spring 7 member 13 'may take the formof an inverted U-shaped memberofresilient' metal in the form of a strip or a wire, In this .case the spring member is heldin position by the provision of av disk 18, having openings therethrough at points inv opposite sides ofthe center. thereof. The spring member is inserted through these openings so that its transverse portion 12 will extend through the openings withthe side portions 13Pof the springmember extending downwardly on each side. The disk 18 carrying the spring member is then pushed into the sleeve. 4 until its edges engage againstthe junctionbetween. the top portion 1110f the sleeve and the cylindrical portion thereof.

The disk 18 is slightly larger in diameter.

than the interior of the sleeve andaccord- .ingly'when it has arrived at .its position within the top portion of the sleeve, it may be sprung into a firm binding engagement with thesleeve. When so mounted, it will hold the spring member in its proper position and the under-surface ofthe disk 18 "will serve as a top bearing for the upper end member will always resiliently engage the pintle to hold the same in position. So far as I am aware, no previous construction has been proposed in which theweight of the furniturecarried by the' caster has been utilized in any way to hold thesprin'g m emher, or to tend to hold the spring member in its engaging position. i

' I have illustrated the invention as applied to that type of caster construction in which no spring frame is used, the sleeve or socket 42 being pressed into. position within an opening in a furniture leg or thelike in which it closely fits. .It is of course, however, obvious'that the invention is not limited in this regard. It 'willbe understood that'the .invention is notlimited to the details of ,construction particularly described,

' but is as broad as is indicated by the accomabout said opening and extending upwardly therefromjsaidsleeve having means at the top thereof to form a top pintle bearingand spring means extending downwardly within said sleevej' from. the top thereof 1 having lower end portions bent inwardly to yieldably engage beneath a shoulder on the pintle when the latter is; pressed upwardly past the same,;within said sleeve, all: parts of said spring means beingentirely within the interior surface of said sleeve at all times,

2. In a caster the combinationof .a sleeve, open at theibottom an dxclosedx at the top, adaptedto act as apintle socket, a rivet extending downwardly throughthe top of said sleeve to act as a top pintle bearing, and a spring member having a cross portion held between said rivet and sleeve top and downwardlyextending portions on opposite sides, withinsa d sleeve, havinglower end portions. bent inwardly to yieldably engage beneath 'a shoulder on the pintle when the lat ter is pressedupwardly past the same within 'sald sleeve.

Ztherethrough, a sleeve secured to saidplate top, a-spring member having a cross portion beneath said flange and downwardly-extending portions on opposite sides entirely within said sleeve, bent inwardly at alined points, a member adapted to secure said cross spring portion beneath said flange, the lower surface of said member being curved downwardly and serving as a top pintle bearing, and a pintle having a concavity in its top surface and a shoulder below said surface, said pintle being adapted to be pressed upwardly within said sleeve to engage the concavity in its top surface with said bearing, said inwardly extending sprin portions yieldably engaging beneath sai shoulder when said pintle is'thus positioned.

4:. In a caster, the combination of a leg supporting plate having a central opening therethrough, a sleeve secured to said plate about said opening, extending upwardly therefrom and closed at the top, a spring member having a cross portion beneath said flange, and downwardly extending portions on opposite sides within said sleeve, bent inwardly at alined points, a member extending downwardly through the top of said sleeve, having means for holding said spring member cross portion in position and a lower surface adapted to serve as a top intle bearing, and a pintle having a shoul er thereon, adapted to be pressed upwardly into operative position within said sleeve, said inwardly extending spring portions yieldably engaging beneath said shoulder when said pintle is thus positioned.

5. In a caster the combination of a sleeve, open at the bottom adapted to act as a pintle socket, said sleeve having a lateral inwardly directed flange at the top, a member bearing against said flange, having a portion serving as a spring holding means beneath said flange, adapted additionally to serve as a top pintle bearing, and spring means secured in place by said spring holding means and extending downwardly within said sleeve on opposite sides thereof, having portions bent inwardly to yieldably engage beneath a shoulder on the pintle when the latter is pressed upwardly past the same within said sleeve.

Signed at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, this 19th day of April, A. D. 1921. V

DANIEL B. DISS. 

